Whenever you go out for rabbiting with your favorite airguns, a delicious meals from the game you catch are exceptionally great after a long tired day. This is a gift recipe for air rifle fanatics with rabbit: the old Italian way of processing meats and vegetables called sott’olio. The rabbits are submerged in oil and slowly cook until the meat becomes tender and rich. After that, the warm meat is dressed in a salad for a good balance. This method may require a lot of oil but it’s worth the trouble. Make sure to take the garlic out of the oil for later use. You can feast the portions on toasted bread for an excellent chow.

1. First, heat the oven up to 300 oF. Scrub the rabbits with salt and pepper, then place them in a Dutch oven. Mix vegetable with olive oil with a 3:1 ratio with the amount enough to submerge the whole rabbits. Add in garlic and thyme, and use aluminum foil to cover the Dutch oven. Cook the oiled rabbits in the oven for about 1.5 hours. Check if the meat become tender and fall apart the bone. Let them cool.

2. In the meantime, mix 1⁄3 cup of red wine vinegar with 1⁄3 cup of water, and boil the mixture. Pour this hot vinegar mixture over the sliced onions prepared in a bowl. Stir the bowl, add in salt and pepper, and let the onions to pickle naturally.

3. Lightly heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the carrots. In the next 6-8 minutes, cook and stir the span until the carrots are tender but not soppy. Add salt and pepper for move to the next step.

4. Make a vinaigrette: Put 1⁄4 cup of red wine vinegar in a bowl and gradually add in 1⁄4 cup of olive oil, until the oil and vinegar are thoroughly mixed together. Add salt and pepper to this mixture.

5. When the rabbits are cool down, take the meat out of the bones.

6. The meat can be served for 4 people. When serve, warm up the meat with some oil in the pan. In a big bowl, gradually toss the arugula with the drained red onions, cheese, carrots, pine nuts, and about 3 tablespoon of vinaigrette. Split the salad among four plates, and top with the rabbit, adding some cheese and salt and pepper if you like.

Let think of a dark and cold outside, meanwhile in your warm room, you are cleaning your beloved air rifle and telling your kids great hunting stories, with a full stomach after a delicious meal. There is nothing more relaxing than that! Keep calm and aim well.